To be your Hero
by Yusagi
Summary: CH2 update! Miaka wakes up!What if Miaka had not been rescued from the slavers by Tamahome, but Hotohori? What if he were simply a prince as Watase had originally intended? Suzaku finally grants Hothori his wish to try again, but at what price?
1. For a second Chance

Disclaimer: I do not own FY, or this fic would be unnessisary...I do own Boshie and Noriko to some extent, tho. 

AN: Awright, this is the first in my long string of as mentioned in my AL journal---see bio for link. I hope you enjoy it, as it's one of my favorates...

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_To be your hero_

**Chapter 1: _For a second chance_**

"The time has come."

"Already?" He said softly, gazing into nothingness.

"You can't postpone your rebirth forever..."

"Just...long enough to watch over her a little longer..."

"And when she dies and is reborn...?"

He allowed himself a private smile, "Then it would be the perfect time to be reborn."

"Why do you deliberately _torment_ yourself?" The woman sighed, "She wished for _Tamahome_, only he can be reborn in her world."

"Then there is no reason to be reborn at all..."

"How can you say that? You have a family to watch over!"

"Boushin has grown strong, there is no way an infant can protect them better than he." He said with a slight shrug. "Besides, I could end up the son of Qu-Dong's emperor for all I know..."

"You _know_ you get to pick!"

"Yes..." He replied in a soft whisper, more to himself than the old woman beside him. "I've always selected one whowould most likely find her, and devoted my entire lives to searching for her..."

"...And you've always lost out to him!" The woman finished bluntly.

His lips tightened in a bitter frown, "God of love...yet the only prayer he would not grant me was the one time I asked for love.."

"Don't speak in such ways. Wishes come with a price proportional to the gift, if you could not handle the price, Suzaku would not giveyou the gift."

"I can handle it! I'd give up anything-enverything! If only she would love me asI love her!"

"I haveheard you say that many a time." Came a voice fromnowhere, "But this is the first time I believe you."

"Suzaku!" The woman gasped, " You _wouldn't_!"

"There _is_ a heavy price to pay..." The voice said, ignoring the woman.

"Anything!"

"Very well then, listen to my words..."

?-?-?

The girl gave her a skeptical frown, "And you're saying my mom _became_ a dragon?"

"Well...something like that..."

"I don't know...Mom _said_ you were kind of crazy..."

"Is that so?"

"Oh no! Boshie! What'd I tell you about volunteering information!" Yui said in a scandilized voice from the doorway.

"_Mom!_ Aunt Miaka's telling silly stories again!" The girl pouted, "Tell her I'm too grown up for that!"

Yui laughed and looked over at Miaka, "You hear that? Boshie says 6 years old is too grown-up for stories about Phoenixes and Dragons!"

"Oh, not _this_ old argument!" Taka laughed, walking in from the kitchen, carrying a biscuit.

"Tetsuya _swears_ he won't get involved this year." Yui's expression suggested she didn't believe him.

"And I _won't_!" He called from the living room.

Yui rolled her eyes and gave Miaka a knowing smile.

"I _hid_ my birth certificate this time!" Taka put in. "You aren't getting me sucked into this conversation _this_ year!"

"Hah. You talk a good game, but can you live up to it?" Miaka laughed.

"Well, while you bicker about whether Genbu was a turtle or a snake, and how either has _anything_ to do with ice, I'm going to dodge tactfully by taking little Noriko out to the park!" Keisuke said, peeking his head into the dining room with a smug smirk.

"Perfect!" Yui clapped, "I've beenmeaning to take Boshie to the park anyway!"

The color drained from hisface. "N-no...I'm taking Noriko, not Boshie!"

"Oh, come on! Boshie and Noriko are friends!" Yui insisted, still smiling that sinister smile she had perfected during her time in the book. "It'll be great, I'm sure!Go on, Boshie!"

A screamdrowned out whatever Keisuke had said in reply, and Miaka jumpedup in surprise.

"What, Miaka?You wanna take them instead?" Keisuke's voice sounded desperate but hopeful.

"D-didn't you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Keisuke asked, scratching his head.

Yui and Taka, however, immediately snapped to attention, Taka even jumping up from the dining chair.

"_What_ did you hear, Miaka?" Taka asked, glancing around as if another demon--or worse, Suzaku, might appear.

"A...scream...but I must have imagined it!" She laughed, waving them off.

_--Eartquake!_

"Earth...quake?" She whispered, echoing the voice that was ringing in her mind.

Yui's eyes widened until theynearly took up her whole face, andscreamed "_MIAKA! No!_"

Taka seemed confused at first, but took cue from Yui, and leapt toward Miaka with a cry, prepared to follow her where ever she may go next, of suffer her fate in place of her, if her life were about to be taken.

Before he could get halfway there, flame erupted around her, and the house exploded in horrified screams.

As seven screams converged into one, Miaka was certain she heard some one speaking to her.

Some one very familiar...

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AN: Awright! An AU H/M fic(and originally a very poor attempt at fluff...) 

BTW, you should really check out the story "Fushigi Yuugi: A new journey" By Cheetara. Very good book, but nobody seems to review it! I love it, I reccomend it, I ORDER you to read and review it:P

>>Yusagi Sombermoon, Authoress of The Universe of the four gods, a HM fic


	2. Flashback

Disclaimer: nopies, don't own FY--tho NORiko and BoshIE I own..

AN: Well, my OCs didn't seem too popular last chappy...T.T aw well, here is chapter 2, and...well I skip around a bit while Miaka is in 'her world' because I have written those scenes SO MANY TIMES(RPGs, fics, countless revisions...etc) that i simply despise thinking of it anymore...

_Valy: _Well, I guess I answered you via Email--but if anyone else read the review, it goes like this: Boshie/Noriko are my characters, I named them as such, and it's an intentional 'misspelling'(Boshie is based off or Suboshi, not Boushin) and the earthquake part s a word in her mind.

_Hoshi: _All will be revealed in time...

_Maiden: _Thanks!

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_To be your hero_

**Chapter 2:_Flashback_**

"_MIIIAAAKAAAA!_"

Screams were fast fading now, fire surrounded her, and she could feel herself falling...falling faster than she thought possible.

_What's going on? Where am I?_

"Miaka!" The voice was getting louder again. "Miaka, wake up, please!"

She groaned as the girl shook her again. "Five more minutes, mom..."

"Mom?" Came a voice. "What is she talking about?"

"Nothing..." The girl growled. "Hey, you're a prince, right?"

"Eh...yes?'

"Good then, maybe your kiss will wake her!"

"Wh-what?"

"Yeah...where we come from, only a prince can wake a sleeping girl--with a kiss!"

"Uh...are you certain?"

"Oh, very much...will you do it?"

"...I-if there is no choice..."

She felt soft fingers brush away the bangs from her face, and hot, ragged breaths danced across her lips.

"Now...you _are _certain?"

Her heart was beating like a race horse doing laps between her throat and stomach.

_Oh, I can't _do _this! I'm just a junior-high student! _She thought frantically.

With a squeal, she jumped away, face hot as the sun.

Yui burst into triumphant, almost sadistic, laughter. "I _knew _it!"

"You're a _sicko!_" Miaka panted, glaringat her best friend.

"Excuse me?" the man asked, looking between the two of them.

"Err.." Yui mumbled. "It's _Miaka's _fault!"

"_You _lied!"

"_You _wouldn't get up!"

"Excuse me...?" He repeated, face turning crimson. Whether from anger or embarrassment, Miaka couldn't tell.

"I'm _so _sorry for my friend's _stupid _sense of humor!" Miaka said quickly, kneeling in front of him. "Really, _really _sorry! She's an idiot!"

"_Hey!_" Yui snapped. "How should I know you only _fainted_?"

The young prince's hands clasped over hers, and he carefully drew her up to stand before him. He gave her a small smile. "I am not the emperor..do not bow before me so."

"I-I'm sorry..."

"Think nothing of it..."

"Th-thank you..." she stuttered, face red. "U-um, can I ask you your name?"

"Of course." He said, smiling. "My name is Xing Shu, but you may call me Hotohori i you wish."

"M-My name is Miaka Yuuki..just call me Miaka."

"Where do you come from, Miaka?"

She blinked. It was odd...but when he spoke her name, it reminded her of something...something, somewhere a long time ago...

"I know this is stupid...but...h-have we met before, Hotohori?"

"...I do not believe so..." He said mildly.

"Oh, of course not...just a silly case of deja vu."

He raised a sculptedeyebrow.

"Uh...I mean...I thought I'd done this before..."

"Oh..." he said, nodding. "I feel as such, as well..perhaps it was in another life?"

She shrugged.

Beforehe could reply, the earth shuddered violently, sending Miaka falling onto her back.

"Another earthquake!" Yui cried, as the world roared around them, drowning out the cries of the young prince.

For a moment, evreything flared red around her, and then Miaka found herself sitting in the library, books scattered around her.

"Huh...?" Yui mumbled, "Was it all a dream?"

Miaka's watch beeped irritably, and Miaka gasped as she glanced down at it. "_Cram school! _I'm late!"

"_Hey! _What are you two doing in here?"

?-?-?-?

_"Why don't you do the test _for _me!"_

She sighed as she sat down in a corner of the restricted section. _maybe I was rash...but it'll do mom good to worry a little..._

She picked up the book she and Yui had been reading earlier that day. _A wish, huh? And I'm the Pope in Rome!_

**_"The valiant prince fell upon the slavers and rescued the Young Lady..."_**

_Huh? This had everything _I _did today!_

**_"The prince's voice was familiar to the Young Lady, like an old memory bubblng to the surface...the Young Lady felt herself blush, wondering where they could have met."_**

"I don't understand..how is this possible?"

As she stared down at the pages, the letters began to glow red, followed by the pages, until the entire book emitted a red glow.

Her scream did not make it out of the room before she was swallowed by the light, thrown back into the mythical world of the book.

**_"And so the Young Lady's journeys begin again..perhaps to a fairer fate..."_**

?-?-?-?

_"Miaka...wake up..."_

_Who's there?_

_"You have to wake up now..."_

_Who are you?_

_"Don't you remember me?" His soft face was troubled, as he touched her cheek. "Has he driven even my memory from your mind?_

"Hey!" barked a voice."Get up!"

Miaka jerked bolt upright, blinking away the lingering traces of her dream. "Where am I...?"

Lush trees surrounded the courtyard she was sitting in, and a stone path led through it toward a beautiful pond. Wonderful aromas from the extravagant flowers now filled the air, and a harsh-looking guard now pointed a spear threateningly at her.

"You are in the palace of Xing! Emperor of Hong-Nan!"

"What...?"

The man's lips twitched slightly as he glared down at her "How can you claim you do not know those names?"

"What is this commotion about?" Came a voice.

"P-Prince Shu!" the guard stuttered, saluting. "I found this..."

"Miaka!" the man gasped, walking up to her.

"Hotohori!"

"He is a _prince!_" the man objected, apparently horrified at the lack of her use of the appropriate honorific.

"I _know _what he is!" She frowned, standing up and looking to the young prince for support.

He smiled slightly, then turned a cold glare to the guard. "She is my personal servant, harrass her no longer."

"Y-Yes, Your Highness." The guard bowed, backing up.

"You may _leave._"

"Thanks..." She said when the guard was out of hearing range.

"Are you alright, Miaka?" he asked, "You..."

"Oh, it was nothing! I was just dragged back to my own world rather uncerimoniously..I guess..."

"You're..._own..._world?"

_Uh...oh...now what?"_

"You...came from another...world?" He asked, voice hushed.

"U-uh, I understand if you don't believe me!" She said quickly.

_Oh no! He's going to call that guard back, now!_

He shook his head, frowning. "That is not it. Come...we should speak in my chambers."

"Your chambers?"

"Yes..." he said, lookig back at her. "It is the only safe place in the palace to speak."

"Uhm...if you say so..."

He nodded, and took her hand, leading her through the winding pathways of the palace, past innumeral identical buildings.

It was odd..she'd never snuck around once...not through school, not to the fridge, not even by a snobby girl...but the way he lead her around, diving into corridors and shadows whenever anyone neared, seemed familiar to her...like she'd done it with him before...almost as if she'd done similiar things all her life.

She did not have long to consider the sensation, however, as they quickly arrived at a small indent in a wall of a large building. The prince tapped the wall a few times, and it slid away to reveal a hidden passage inside.

He looked over at her, and motioned for her to go ahead of him.

The short passage led to an extravagant room, decked out in jewels, gold, and quite a few mirrors. As the prince stepped in after her, he did something to the wall that caused the passageway to be concealed once more.

"So...whatissosecret?"

"You say you come from another world..." He said quietly, turning around toward her. "So you probably know nothing about our legends."

"I...guess not..."

"There is a legend in out land..." He said walking toward her, "And if you speak the truth, then this is the most dangerous place for you."

**Ch 2 end**

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AN: MWhAHA! What do you think?

Ofcourse, in Ancient China, the introduced themselves lastname first(as in Japan, right?) This'll be fun, playing with Miaka and 'prince' Hotohori...but, I'm up for suggestions, anything special you wanna see?(I have a plan, but I am flexible) should I have citrus in this?

Well...cyas then!

-Yusagi Sombermoon


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